Herald: Deal Done, C's run with Pack

["Josh Farber" <nbaj2k@home.com>]

So they'll be pressing more.  We kinda figured/knew that I guess.

So Fortson was all set for NY?  Why not GS if they guaranteed him a starting
position?

I'm still interested to see if Rick has another trade up his sleeve
especially with the comments about point guard he makes.

Josh.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Deal done, C's run with the Pack
by Mark Cofman
Thursday, August 17, 2000







For the first time since pulling the trigger on a nine-player trade with
Golden State, Utah and Dallas, Celtics president/coach Rick Pitino and
general manager Chris Wallace ended their silence and discussed the latest
acquisitions and the state of the team yesterday.

The Celtics acquired Dallas' Robert Pack and John ``Hot Rod'' Williams, one
of Utah's two first-round draft picks next year, plus $3 million from the
Mavericks in the four-team exchange, while sending Danny Fortson to Golden
State and Dana Barros to Dallas.

``The intention here with this deal was No. 1, to horde more draft picks for
the future, which are very important chips for us as a team over the salary
cap,'' Wallace said via a teleconference. ``The NBA operates in an almost
entirely over-the-cap league right now, and (draft picks) are a viable way
to acquire significant talent in that situation. It gives you a great deal
of flexibility - not necessarily just in using those picks in the draft but
also in a trade.

``Secondly, and quite frankly, we did not want to see Danny Fortson in a
Knicks uniform without getting any compensation. That is what was going to
happen if we did not get this deal done.''

In weighing $2.25 million exceptions offered by the Knicks and Golden State,
Fortson was leaning heavily toward New York if he couldn't get a
sign-and-trade deal from the Celtics. With the 6-7 power forward's patience
running short, the Celtics kept him away from a division rival by
jettisoning him to a Western Conference team they'll see just twice a year.

In the end, Fortson got exactly what he wanted. The three-year veteran is
expected to start for the Warriors and be paid handsomely with a $40 million
package over seven years. The Celtics, faced with the possibility of coming
away empty-handed, got something in return.

Pack, 31, a point guard, has a push-the-ball-upcourt style that could help
the Celtics if he avoids the injuries that have plagued him for three years.
Williams, 38, a gifted player in his day, is past his prime. He was added to
the deal to make the salary numbers work and probably won't be on the roster
come opening night.

``We felt we needed three point guards, and with the addition of Robert Pack
and (recently signed free agent) Randy Brown, this is probably the deepest
we've been at that position,'' said Pitino, who was forced by a lack of
depth to overuse starter Kenny Anderson last season. ``He also fits well
from a style-of-play standpoint because we want to push the ball more and
press more this year.

``Robert Pack fits in as well as any point guard we could acquire, and we're
very excited about that. Now, there's always the possibility of more trades
involving a point guard, so we're not going to get too comfortable along
those lines.''

Translated, the Celtics' roster is still a work in progress and Pack, as a
proven player entering the final year of his contract, would represent an
attractive bargaining chip.

Much of the groundwork for the Fortson deal took place over the weekend, and
by late Monday night nearly all of the details had been hammered out. But
with four free agents involved requiring sign-and-trade deals before joining
their new teams - and the league needing time to review the salary-cap
ramifications before rubber-stamping its approval - the trade was not
official until yesterday.

The rest of the deal includes former Boston College teammates Howard Eisley
and Bill Curley, leaving Utah and Golden State, respectively, to be reunited
in Dallas; Donyell Marshall and Bruno Sundov, who leave Golden State and
Dallas, respectively, for Utah; and Adam Keefe, who leaves Utah to join
Fortson with Golden State.